Artistical appeal of using Pingxiang nuo masks: empirical evidence from China

The present research was designed to examine the relationships between cultural knowledge of Pingxiang Nuo Masks, cultural use of Pingxiang Nuo Masks, participants' artistic attitudes, aesthetic experiences, and artistic appeal. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire using a purposive sampling method, yielding a sample of 323 respondents. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data. The findings provide valuable contributions to the literature by clarifying the intricate relationships between these variables. The study demonstrates that participants' cultural knowledge of Pingxiang Nuo Masks significantly influences their artistic attitudes, aesthetic experiences, and artistic appeal. Furthermore, it expands the discussion by revealing that the cultural use of Pingxiang Nuo Masks is a strong predictor of artistic attitudes, aesthetic experiences, and artistic appeal. Additionally, artistic appeal was found to be significantly shaped by participants' artistic attitudes and aesthetic experiences. The study also addresses gaps in the existing literature by showing that artistic attitude acts as a crucial mediator between cultural knowledge, cultural use of Pingxiang Nuo Masks, and artistic appeal. These insights help resolve existing inconsistencies in previous studies, emphasizing the important role of artistic attitudes in linking cultural elements to aesthetic appreciation and artistic appeal.